US President Donald Trump has commenced a three-day summit in Washington D.C. with the leaders of five African states: Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal. This gathering, touted by the White House as an "incredible" commercial opportunity, underscores President Trump’s "trade, not aid" philosophy, signaling a transactional approach to international relations that prioritizes American economic interests.
Notably, the invited leaders do not represent Africa's largest economies, suggesting a more strategic, perhaps less conventional, focus for US engagement. With all five nations currently facing a 10% tariff on goods exported to the US, the summit presents a crucial platform for them to negotiate more favorable trade terms.
During a televised White House lunch, the atmosphere was marked by effusive praise from the African leaders directed at President Trump. Mauritania President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani was among the first to commend Trump, stating, "In the short time you've been back in office, the last few months you came to the rescue for peace." He specifically referenced a recent White House-facilitated peace deal between Dr. Congo and Rwanda, an agreement believed to potentially secure lucrative mineral access for the US. His sentiments were echoed by other leaders, many of whom openly voiced support for Trump's nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize. Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye even added a lighter touch, complimenting Trump's golf skills and extending an invitation to build a golf course in Senegal.
President Trump, seemingly delighted by the reception, responded, "Thank you very much. Very nice. Thank you. I didn't know I'd be treated this nicely. This is great. We could do this all day long."
The core agenda quickly emerged. The African heads of state seized the platform to highlight their respective nations’ natural resources and raw materials, including strategically important rare earth minerals. Some made direct appeals for US investment. Senegal's President Faye spoke passionately about building a "tech city" in Dakar with "views of the sea," extending a direct invitation for American investors to participate. Similarly, Gabon President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, whose country boasts significant resources including rare earth minerals, issued a pointed invitation: "You are welcome to come and invest, otherwise other countries might come instead of you." This implicit reference to growing competition from rival powers, particularly China and Russia, underscores a key driver behind the Trump administration's renewed focus on the continent.
According to Babacar Diagne, Senegal's former ambassador to Washington, these invitations reflect a recent "paradigm shift" in US policy towards Africa. Since taking office for his second term in January, President Trump has significantly cut US aid to the continent, deeming it wasteful and incompatible with his "America First" agenda. This shift has cast doubt on the future of initiatives like the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), which guarantees duty-free access for certain African goods but is due for renewal later this year. Diagne noted that the traditional Democrat focus on poverty reduction and development through Agoa "is over," suggesting a purely transactional "give and take, win and win" approach, exemplified by the recent Rwanda-DRC mineral agreement.
Nicaise Mouloumbi, head of a leading NGO in oil-rich Gabon, corroborated this view, explaining that the US focus on Africa is largely driven by increasing competition for prized resources. He highlighted that all invited countries possess important minerals, including gold, oil, manganese, gas, wood, and zircon, with Gabon holding a quarter of the global known manganese reserves. Gabon's strategic location along the Gulf of Guinea also makes it an attractive potential host for a US military base, a point echoed by Diagne concerning the US interest in addressing "maritime terrorism" in the piracy-prone Gulf.
For Mauritania and Senegal, migration is also central to discussions. Ousmane Sene, head of the West African Research Centre (WARC), pointed out the significant number of young Mauritanians and Senegalese who have recently attempted irregular migration to the US via Nicaragua, making these countries key departure points for illegal emigration—a crucial point for Trump's migration policy.
Other sticking points for potential deals include the restoration of diplomatic ties with US ally Israel for Mauritania (the only invited country without such ties), and issues related to visa overstay rates, particularly for Gabon and Liberia. Liberia, heavily impacted by US aid cuts, is reportedly considering a US proposal to accept deported individuals, including criminals, potentially leveraging its close historical links to America for much-needed cash. Guinea-Bissau, once labelled a "narco-state," is keen for the US embassy to reopen, a clear sign of its desire for strengthened legitimate ties.
